I believe it is a combination of things. I am sure that since this took me longer to put together for various reasons, many potental participants had already ordered Shincha from O-Cha. Also I am sure cost has been a factor. In order for OTTI to remain sustainable, rounds have to at least break even, unless a wealthy benefactor comes into the picture. Conducting a dedicated to one vendor OTTI will generally have a higher cost.

The O-Cha teas arrived via EMS yesterday! Preparing to weigh and package as much as possible today, hopefully finishing tomorrow.

One tiny little glitch ... well HUGE glitch. the first 7 pouches tested had completely failed seals. In a panic, I continued checking, 14 out of the first 30 failed, and almost 40 out of the first 100.

With the zip bags, either the zip works ... or it does not, no middle ground. So, before putting the tea into a bag, we will have to test the seal. Oh well, always something.

Since you posted links to the tea I was able to begin brewing my first cup right after paying for OTTI 14. Some tweaking required to suit my taste, but still good enough for 5 steeps using O-Cha brewing parameters!

JRS22 wrote:Since you posted links to the tea I was able to begin brewing my first cup right after paying for OTTI 14. Some tweaking required to suit my taste, but still good enough for 5 steeps using O-Cha brewing parameters!

Excellent. You can discuss actual names this time. Dedicated to One Vendor (DOVe) OTTI rounds will be fully open discussion.